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BUTCH COMEGYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER John Gorel is the new president of the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

CARBONDALE — When he writes newsletters, John Gorel puts the word “greater” in capital letters.

As the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce’s new director sets out to strengthen the city’s business community, he wants to assure members from the Midvalley to Honesdale to southern Susquehanna County that he’s looking out for them, too, not just the city.

He took the reins Oct. 31 from outgoing director Laure Carlo, who led the chamber for more than four years.

Carlo said she left on good terms, but had a different vision for the organization. She also wanted a change of pace, she said. She’s taking time off but plans to continue her career elsewhere.

Before leading the chamber, she worked for the state House of Representatives’ local office for 25½ years, and said she had always loved interacting directly with people.

Gorel, 38, graduated from Penn State University in 2003 with a business management degree. He lives in Fell Twp. with his family.

For the last 12 years he was general manager for a homeowners association in Susquehanna County. Now he puts a long list of area connections to work to promote local business and industry.

“He’s able to step back, see the assets that he has out there, then use them to work together so everybody wins,” said chamber board President Michele Bannon. “I think that’s why everybody’s excited about him being here.”

Gorel grew up in Forest City. His grandparents live in Carbondale and he spent much of his childhood there.

He wants the chamber to promote more arts and culture in the city and take on a greater role in developing the local workforce. For example, he envisions a youth board made up of area students, resume writing seminars and computer coding classes for kids and adults to be held in the chamber’s historic building along North Main Street.

He likened his vision to what’s already been done in the downtown areas of Honesdale and Tunkhannock, where small businesses abound and thrive.

“I love going there,” he said. “How do we bring that here?”

Only a few weeks into his new role, Gorel doesn’t want to tell his members what they should do to thrive, but rather listen to what they need, he said.

As one of his first goals, he’s working to offer members group rate health insurance plans through ChamberChoice, which sells coverage to chambers of commerce. He believes members, especially the smaller ones with only a handful of employees, will have an easier time recruiting and retaining talent if they can offer a group rate like larger companies.

But chambers of commerce everywhere struggle to attract new members because much of what they do is intangible, said Carlo, who guessed that Gorel will have his hands full compiling his five- and 10-year plans.

Gorel started to introduce himself to local shop owners, and Carlo said his apparent enthusiasm for the job should help his cause.

“I’ve seen him out in the community, and I’m sure he’s eager to branch out, and that’ll be perfect,” she said. “I think he will be a good fit.”

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